Hey guys,
This is actually a more pertinent question then some may think,.. and the answer is YES there are different kicking techniques.
Floattubes are all about YOU and how you are able to make your toob work for you, as a boat and a fishing platform. Perhaps no other boating device afloat is like this. How your toob performs is about how tall you are, how heavy you are, what shape you are, what shape you are in!, etc., etc., So YES there are different kicking techniques.
1) THE LONG KICK,...
whenever you need to reach a long distance destination one of the first kicks you will naturally learn is the Long Kick. It basically is a kick that requires you to lean back in your seat as far as you can so you can utilize as long a kick as you can. Keeping it leisurely and paced so as not to fatigue. Rotating your hips helps to utilize the long muscles of your thighs and reduce fatigue.
2) THE SPEED KICK,...
Particularly when fighting BIG fish or dodging conventional boat traffic, it's when you need that quick burst of speed. Lean as far back as possible pressing both hands (or your elbows if your hands are full of fishing pole and big fish) down hard on the toob, (you need to get your ass off the seat to reduce drag, and transfer your weight to the outer, flotation of the toob), and kick with stiff upper legs and fluid calves and ankles.
3) THE IDLING KICK,...
or the Ankle Kick,... This is the kick that you will use most of the time when you are fishing and you need to maintain position against wind and current. Short strokes from the knees down keeping your fin tips fairly deep, very leisurely,concentrating on the upstroke. (Lolly's bicycle kick?)
4) THE TURNING KICK,...
This is an interesting kick that water polo players and synchronized swimmers use to turn on a dime. You spread your legs wide and kick your legs in circles.Clockwise to go left, counter to go right. If you do it right you should be able to turn 180 degrees in your own diameter with one kick.
5) THE BACK-UP (kicking for forward motion)
This was a kick that was easier in the good ol', bad ol' days of the round tube. You lean as far forward as you can, keeping your fin tips deep and under or behind you, and step as if climbing a flight of stairs, concentrating on the downstroke.
6) THE QUARTERING KICK
This is for quartering, You kick one leg slowly, with long shallow strokes and with the other, short strokes with your leg half again as deep. ( this one is a *&@#* to learn, sort of like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time, but is extremely valuable when fishing, downwind, and across)
Boatmanship and position, is in my mind crucial to fishing success and especially in a toob knowing any or all of the best ways to propel yourself and maneuver, the better.
bodfish
PS FINS,FINS,FINS,.... Because everything I have just mentioned is predicated on the type fins you use in my humble opinion,....
Long soft fins (diving fins) ,.. good for speed, long runs, and better for fatigue prevention,...
Short fins,... good for maneuverability and quickness,and extremely valuable in shallow or densely weeded areas,
Best fishing fins? Force Fins! hands down.
There are simple answers to why short, stiff, forked, fins are superior to long soft dive fins for toobing and tooning. But that is another discussion.